Niwot LID Advisory Committee seeks candidates for upcoming vacancies

Boulder County is now accepting applications for two openings on the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) Advisory Committee, a nine-member independent board that “prioritizes expenditures of the LID sales tax revenue,” and makes recommendations to the county commissioners.

The Niwot LID was formed in 1992 and authorized to collect a half-percent sales tax to pay for street, drainage and other improvements in Old Town. In 2007 following a successful Niwot effort to change state law, voters in the LID approved a measure that increased the tax to one percent and allowed revenues to be used to be used for marketing and promotional materials. as well as pay for capital and transit-related projects.

Another Niwot-led effort to change state law allowed funds to be used for events as well as expansion of the LID boundaries. Because Niwot is unincorporated, the LID sales tax is the only direct source of tax revenue for improvements that benefit the local improvement district.

The Advisory Committee meets monthly to consider requests for funding and discuss other district-related business. In the past 12 months, the committee has approved disbursements for new Niwot attractions such as Community Corner at Sculpture Park and the Firehouse Museum, as well as recurring events such as Enchanted Evening, Rock N Rails, and Jazz on 2nd Ave. In 2017, the LID approved the use of tax revenues to purchase land on the west side of Murray Street to be developed into a public parking lot.

The committee is also responsible for updates and revisions to the Niwot Strategic Plan, which serves as a roadmap for future planning and and LID expenditures in the community. The plan was first adopted in 2011 and revised in 2016.

The LID Advisory Committee holds its meetings on the first Tuesday of each month at the Mountain View Fire Station on Niwot Road at 7 p.m.

The application period is open now through Jan. 11, 2019. New five-year terms for a business community representative and a residential representative are expected to begin in March, 2019. LID members are limited to two consecutive five-year terms. Leaving the board are business representative Carrie Wise, whose second term ends on Feb. 28, and residential member Jay Champion, who resigned at the end of November, citing upcoming work and family obligations.

Other current members include Jim Eastman (resident), Harris Faberman (business), Scott Firle (resident), Anne Postle (Niwot Business Association), Bruce Rabeler (business), Laura Skaggs (Niwot Community Association) and Biff Warren (business).